This application relates in general to generating graphical displays of information derived from different sources, and in particular to a system and method for customizing web applications within a domain.
Organizations, including businesses, public sector groups, and agencies, often utilize unique management systems that are customized to manage business or services performed by that organization. In general, management systems assist an organization in tracking data, information, employees, and other factors associated with the business of the organization. Each management system can be specific to the organization, including specific databases used, deployed communication technologies, infrastructure for sensing and acting on information entered, business rules, and vocabulary, as well as other elements that differ between organizations. For example, retail stores and online stores generally have different needs and business rules that are reflected in the unique systems. Further, franchise businesses may use different management systems for each different location or owner, despite the shared type of business method and model.
Unfortunately, attempts to collect data across different organizations utilizing different management systems can be difficult and extremely time consuming. Generally, each organization must provide the data, which may be in different formats, and then the data can be manually entered into a single program for further analysis. In some cases, related organizations attempt to impose a standard information technology ecosystem by bundling all required components into a standalone software package that can be installed by each related organization.
Related organizations that utilize a universal management system, however, experience challenges. Often, a universal system fails to address individual organization needs, which can vary significantly among employees and customers in different locations. For example, an entity with multiple organizations that each use a universal system may find that the universal system fails to fit or adequately address of the needs of one or more of the organizations. One solution currently is to build customized software for each. However, such a customized system makes accessing and processing data across the related organizations difficult. Some of the customization can be reused for related organizations, but new vocabularies and business rules need to be incorporated for each organization, which can still be costly.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for developing customized web applications across related organizations in a business domain.